[Free Report] The Forgotten Plastic Pollution: Cigarette Butts - and They Could be Killing our Plantsby Rosa Domingos | 22-07-2019 17:21 |
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 It¡¯s amazing how quickly people have ditched plastic straws thanks to campaigns to discourage us from using single-use plastic. Yet rarely do we hear about a much more common source of plastic pollution... Being cigarettes butts... Cigarette butts or filters are the most littered item on the planet. An estimated 5.6 trillion cigarettes are smoked each year, out of which two thirds are improperly disposed of (Green, 2019). That¡¯s [4.5 trillion butts] each year. Since the 1980s, cigarette butts have accounted for 30% to 40% of all litter found in coastal and urban litter clean-ups. They are a common eyesore on our streets, our parks, our beaches and in our waterways. Whats sad about this is that many smokers admit to littering cigarette butts, possibly because they believe them to be biodegradable and somehow do not consider them as litter. But as well as taking much longer to break down than most people think, discarded cigarette butts may significantly damage surrounding plant growth, as our new research suggests (Green, 2019). What are cigarette butts made out of? Cigarette butts are composed of thousands of cellulose acetate fibres and, although biodegradable, take years to disappear from the environment. Cellulose acetate fibres - like other microplastics - are also a common contaminant found throughout the world¡¯s ecosystems, even accumulating at the bottom of the deep sea. Used filters also contain thousands of chemicals that can kill plants, insects, rodents, fungus and other lifeforms, and some of which are known carcinogens. There are many reports of young children and pet dogs accidentally swallowing cigarette butts, and they¡¯ve even been found in wild animals such as seabirds and turtles. Ingestion can cause vomiting and, in some cases, convulsions. The leachates from cigarette butts can be toxic to aquatic organisms such as bacteria, crustaceans, worms and fish. Do your bit, it will go a long way. The moral of this article is that we need to look at a plastic pollution in an angle that affects us in our everyday life. Cigarette buds are not given the full attention it requires in order to counter act plastic pollution. When you walk down a walkway, or in a park, and notice cigarette butts on the ground, remember that it is also plastic. Do your bid and dispose of it properly in a recycle-bin or conventional bin. You will be doing Mother Earth a huge favour! Source: [Dannielle Green] 19 July, 2019 - https://theconversation.com/amp/cigarette-butts-are-the-forgotten-plastic-pollution-and-they-could-be-killing-our-plants-119958 |
